County conducts public works business

RITZVILLE – The Adams County Solid Waste Division will call for bids on new solid waste trailers to haul garbage from transfer stations.

Public Works Director Todd O’Brien met with county board of commissioners recently to explain the current trailers, which were purchased used from Spokane County, have reached the end of their useable life.

Dlivery for new trailers would be “210 to 240 days out,” he said. “The new trailers won’t arrive until around July 2022.”

Once new trailers are in service, the old trailers will be taken to a metal recycler and sold for scrap, he said.

O’Brien also presented three quotes for cold planer asphalt grinders.

The purchase of an asphalt grinder is a budgeted expense for fiscal year 2021, and all three quotes are lower than the budgeted amount.

The grinders are similar, with differences in how the ground asphalt is discharged, he said. The Road Maintenance Division will proceed with the purchase of the chosen grinder.

O’Brien also expressed concern over availability of paint used to stripe roads.

The Road Maintenance Division is having trouble getting the paint in 250 gallon totes, he said.

With maintenance striping to be done, and more than 50 miles of newly seal coated roads in the county to be painted, O’Brien indicated they may need to start buying paint in smaller quantities, such as 5 gallon buckets, and pour the paint into the 250 gallon totes.

In other business, the board approved paying $459,048.36 to DeAtley Crushing of Lewiston, Idaho, for completed rock crushing work between June 28 and Sept. 1.

Crushing will continue this fall at the Marcellus, Ritzville and Haase crushing sites, officials said.

Cardboard for recycling will be picked up at transfer stations. Cardboard brings $165 per ton, picked up by the recycler.